Vehicle compartment hood and fender



Aug. 17-, 1948. B. J. CRAIG VEHICLE COMPARTMENT HOOD AND FENDER Original Filed Feb. 12, 1940 SH-i Patented Aug. 17, 1948 VEHICLE COMPARTMENT HOOD AND FENDER Burnie'l Cra'ig,lLos Angeles "County, Calif.

Original application February 12,. 1940, Serial. No. 318,397. :Divid'ed and this-application-April 25, 1944, 'Serial .No. 532,652

'3 Claims. (Cl. 1-80---69) "This invention relates to a vehicle compartment structure.

The general object of the invention is to provide an automotive vehicle including a body having a novelrear-portion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel 'compartmental closure'for a'vehicle body.

An additional object of the invention is toprovide a novel means iortmount-inga closure on a vehicle compartment.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a vehicle compartment 'clo'sureincluding a. novel reinforcing member or "bumper.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the "following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is-a side elevationwith the parts broken away and showing'the rear'portion of:a vehicle equipped withthe invention;

Fig. '2 is a top'plan view of the rearpart of the vehicle withpartsbroken'away;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3--'3,.'Fig. '1;

Fig. *i'isa side elevation of'the'rear portionof thevehicl'e showing the rear hood raised to the first postion;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the hood in fully raised position, and

Fig.6 and Fig. 7 are enlarged, fragmentary sections taken on lines 66 and 'l-l, respectively, Fig. 1.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 318,397, filed February 12, 1940, now Patent No. 2,349,940, granted May 30, 1944.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the invention is shown as embodied in an automotive vehicle which is indicated generally at 1. The vehicle includes wheels 2 arranged in wheel housings 2. The wheels are suitably supported on a frame which includes side rails 20. The side-rails include hangers 28 which support outer rails 29. The outer rails support pillars l6 which in turn support a top l8.

The top includes a drain or trim strip 31 and the vehicle includes suitable doors 4!]. The pillars l6 include flanges 46 which support body panels 48. The frame includes a rearwardly directed member 59 (see Fig. 7), which is covered by an extension of the panel 48. The lowered edge of a window BI is support on the panel 48.

The rear of the body includes a compartment 62 which is closed by a pair of hood members 65 (see Figs. 1, 2 and 4). Each hood member includes a side bumper member 61 which extends ably secured in place and includes a bent over 2 end portion 68 on which a link 69 ispivoted at one end. The other end of each link 'BQispiVotally mounted on a removable .pin it which is hel'd'in place'by a nut "H. 'As will be later described, this construction provides two open positions for the hood "members 66.

Each "hood member'iurther includes .a bracket 72 on which on'e'end of a link "iT'is pivoted. The other end of the link it is pivoted on a removable pin 775 secured to a bracket 14 which latter is mounted on the members 23 and '25. Thepins 'lilan'd "T3 are coaxial. 'Th'elhood'm'embers each include vertical and lateral brace members 175.

The rear bent 'over portion of the bumper 61 engages the link fie'which in turn engages the rail 29 when the half-hood is closed while the forward end ll o'f'ea'chbumper engages theout'er end of a bracket "I8 on the ass'ociatedihangeriil. Thus the bumper under crash impact tends to transfer the blow directly to the frame.

Each hood member 66 when closed engages a flange 19 on the panel 48 and abuts against a'shoulder "89 on the rear edge ofthe same panel 48. A latch ill Lon afirew'a'll 82- supported on the membersiiQ is operable from within the vehicle and "includes arms 83 which secure the 'hood meinbersfi'fi'in closed position. The edges ofthe fire wall 82 'engage'the panel ifl. The firewall is arranged to separate the engine compartment from the passenger compartment.

In the complete vehicle each half-hood covers the adjacent wheel 2. To allow access to and replacement of a tire the half-hood is raised to the position shown in Fig. 4 and may be held in this position by a bracket 84. When fully opened to allow access to the engine the hood assumes the position shown in Fig. 5 which position it holds due to the location of the axis of its pivoted support.

It will be seen that when lifted the hood first pivots about the forward pivots of the links 69 and 12. When lifted further a tongue 61' secured to the bumper (51 engages the link 69 and a tongue 12" engages the link 12' and thereafter the hood pivots about the rear pivots of the links 69 and 12'. By removing the pins 19 and 13 the hood members may be completely removed to facilitate removal of, or repairs to, the engine or for other purposes.

Each hood member 66 includes a rear bumper support 85 which extends through the hood and has inner resilient portions 86 disposed when the hood is in down position as shown in Fig. 2, adjacent the half cross member 23 of the frame. The resilient portions 86 include end portions The ampact of a rearward glancing blow on the end of a bumper is transferred to a member 23 through the bent portions 86'.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an automotive vehicle, a body. having a compartment therein, a closure for the compartment, a link, a pin fixed relative to the body and pivotally supporting one end of the link, other means to pivotally support the other end of the link on the closure, road wheels on said body and including a wheel behind the closure, the closure being movable about the other pivot means to afirst raised position to expose the wheel, and means movable with the closure to engage the link and to move the link and closure about the first pivot when the closure is further raised, the pivot means being disposed to cause said closure to remain in the second position due to gravity.

2. An automotive vehicle including a body having an engine compartment at one end, a wheel housing at each side of the engine compartment, said body including a frame, road wheels mounted on the frame and arranged in the wheel housings, said engine compartment having an open upper portion, closure means for said engine compartment, said closure means comprising a pair of complemental closure members, each of the members including a top portion and a side portion, the side portion of each closure member forming a closure for the adjacent wheel housing, means to pivotally mount one end of each closure member on the body, the axis of the pivotal mounting being disposed between the wheel axle and the adjacent end of the vehicle, means to hold the closure members in fully closed position and other means operable either to hold each closure member in partly raised position to expose a wheel in 4 said ousing, or in fully opened position to permit ready access to an engine compartment.

3. An automotive vehicle including a body having an engine compartment at one end, a wheel housing at each side of the engine compartment, road Wheels for the vehicle arranged in the wheel housings, said engine compartment having an open upper portion, closure means for said engine compartment, said closure means including a pair of closure members, each of the clo- ,.sure members including a top portion and a side portion, the side portion of each closure member. forming a closure for the adjacent wheel housing, means to pivotally mount one end of each closure member on the body, the axis of each pivotal mounting being disposed substantially 1 horizontal and extending transversely of the body and being disposed, near said one end of the body "and between the road wheel axis and the extreme end of said one end of the vehicle, means to hold the closure members in fully closed position and other means to hold the closure members in open position to permit ready access to an engine in the engine compartment.

' BURNIE J. CRAIG,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 96,860 Ryan Sept. 10, 1935 1,434,929 Taylor Nov. 7, 1922 1,795,208 Garner Mar. 3, 1931 2,057,015 Davis, Jr. Oct. 13, 1936 2,080,989 Smith May 18, 1937 2,086,172 Northup July 6, 1937 2,091,076 Langdon Aug. 24, 1937 2,175,528 Klavik Oct. 10, 1939 2,196,225 Morrison Apr. 9, 1940 2,210,519 Wollensak Aug. 6, 1940 2,232,275 Ronning Feb. 18, 1941 2,237,677 Lewis Apr. 8, 1941 2,329,808 'Wolfe Sept. 21, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 476,100 Great Britain 'Dec. 1, 1937 

